What exactly went wrong with "Fish"? Was Abe Vigoda's character wrong to spinoff or was the environment that they put his character in wrong?

I think both. Plus, I think Fish was better off as a supporting character.

I think both. Plus, I think Fish was better off as a supporting character.


Hmmm so you don't think a different concept would've worked for him?

I don't think so - I think the foster kids were the wrong concept for Fish. Plus, I have to admit that Bernice as a lead character didn't work. She was good only in small doses. No offense to the late Florence Stanley (who I thought was great as the voice of Grandma Ethyl on Dinosaurs), but I thought Doris Belack was a lot less annoying as Bernice. (Doris Belack subbed for Florence Stanley in the S2 episode "Fish".)

Yeah, on this we agree, Monika.

Fish was a great supporting character but as a lead he just was a bit off putting. In order to be a lead I think he needed to be injected with a bit more warmth, and to be fair, they tried to and it seemed false somehow. Fish was a cantankerous, world weary, beleaguered old cop who wasn't happy with the way just about everything in his life was going; his job, his family, and getting old. Making him "warm and fuzzy" made him seem, well, like someone other than Fish. :lol:

I just didn't buy Fish as a foster parent - that's my main beef.

I just didn't buy Fish as a foster parent - that's my main beef.
Me neither. This was the wrong concept for Phil Fish. They probably should have just left him at the 12th precinct where he was a perfect fit as a supporting character. I really don't understand the fascination with spinoffs anyway. Especially when you have a great ensemble show like Barney Miller. Keep the ensemble together!

I liked the show and thought it was pretty good.

I liked the show and thought it was pretty good.
Well, Abe Vigoda is always worth watching, no matter how good or bad the project is.

As good as he was, he was too much of a depressing character for people to see regularly.

It's like everytime you saw him, he was saying, "ughhhhh...."

i just found episodes to watch on crackle.com

I was not very fond of Fish on Barney Miller. I got tired of his constant complaining about his age, health and Bernice. I never watched the spin-off. I assumed it was more of the same.

I was not very fond of Fish on Barney Miller. I got tired of his constant complaining about his age, health and Bernice. I never watched the spin-off. I assumed it was more of the same.

The problem is that few of the characters had any semblance of a personal life that could segue into a spin-off. It was a choice between either Fish or Barney Miller himself.

wonder if it aired directly after barney miller would it have lasted longer